News and events

A former soap star joined Hertfordshire nurses to learn more about how they support acutely unwell children and young people in their homes as part of a groundbreaking new BBC series which launched yesterday (Monday 25 May).

Natalie Cassidy, best known for playing Sonia Fowler on long-running soap EastEnders, is featured working alongside members of Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust’s Children’s Community Nursing (CCN) team as part of her new series ‘Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together’. The series follows Natalie as she trains to become a professional carer. As part of her training, she spends the day work-shadowing Children’s Community Nurse Charlotte Dalton.

Natalie joined the CCN team, who were recently named Team of the Year at the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group Awards, to learn more about their role caring for sick children, which would otherwise have to be treated in hospital.

Nurse Charlotte said: “It was a real pleasure to work with Natalie and show her the range and complexity of therapeutic care we provide for our families in Hertfordshire. 

“We work hard to ensure children and young people get the care they need in their homes, rather than having to stay in hospital for long periods of time.

“I jumped at the opportunity to help showcase the work we do and the importance of community care, generally. I’m delighted that through this series more people will get some insight into our work.”

During her day with Charlotte, Natalie visits six-year-old Iris at her home in Watford and helps at a nursing clinic at Peace Children’s Centre in Watford. Iris was under the care of the team while she was being treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia – she has since been discharged.

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust’s Chair Nicolas Small said: “This TV series is a great opportunity to share some of the joys, the highlights, the challenges and the heartbreak that nurses like Charlotte and the rest of the team face on a daily basis.

“Our nurses are remarkable people and the support they provide for children in their homes is nothing short of an everyday miracle – we couldn’t be prouder of them.”

The series, which is now available on BBC iPlayerwill be aired on BBC One throughout this week, explores the world of health and care. Over the course of the rest of the series, viewers will see Natalie enroll at North Herts College where she’ll study, train, and work alongside health and social care students, care professionals, volunteers and home carers.

Ahead of the series, Natalie said; “I’m thrilled to be embarking on a new adventure with BBC Daytime. In a series exploring social care, I will be going back to college and learning for the first time since leaving school at 16. Caring has always been a huge part of my life, from watching my mum care for my nan, to being a mother and caring for my dad, this series is close to my heart and I can’t wait for you to see it.”

In the UK, episodes 1 to 4 are available to watch on BBC iPlayer . Episode 5-8 will be available on BBC iPlayer from Monday 1 June.